Henry Ashford and the Wrath of Marcus
by Quatermass
Summary: ("Henry Ashford and the Goblet of Fire" sequel) 1998, a fateful year for Raccoon City. Umbrella is a divided corporation, and when a pair of outbreaks in Raccoon is neglected by the American branch of Umbrella, Alexia Ashford sends her son Henry Ashford and his associates to investigate. But between sabotage and suspicious STARS, can they stop a disaster from getting worse?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

As I begin this, I have already finished _Henry Ashford and the Goblet of Fire_. That story took a while for me to complete, but after a certain point, the chapters just started flowing out of me. It was also the first story where I had decided to do a darker Harry, albeit one who was dark, but with good intentions.

It was my intention, sooner or later, to bring Henry Ashford (as a Harry Potter adopted by Alexia Ashford), along with his friends and family, into the events of the _Resident Evil_ games proper. However, unlike the frankly more B-movie aspects of the games, this story will flesh out the struggles between the different factions of Umbrella (particularly between Alexia's current regime, and those like Albert Wesker and William Birkin), as well as having something that many will look askance at: STARS collaborating with Umbrella, or at least Alexia's faction. Not exactly willingly, but even so, more than in the games, simply because Alexia wants to keep her nose clean, and is willing to treat with the enemies of her enemies within Umbrella. This work will cover the events of _Resident Evil 0_ and _Resident Evil_ , while in all likelihood, the sequel to this work will cover the next two games.

Some disclaimers. Firstly, this is an M-rated work for various reasons. There will be many disturbing themes, violence, horror, and the like. It is _Resident Evil_ , after all. You have been warned.

Secondly, there will be a number of annotations, and I don't want to hear any bellyaching.

Thirdly, there _will_ be spoilers for both the games and the Harry Potter books. However, there will be no bashing, or at least a bare minimum at most. The Harry Potter characters have their bad points, sure, and these will be highlighted. But they also have their good points.

Finally, this is a fan-written work. _Resident Evil_ , Harry Potter, and the characters and scenarios are property of their respective owners. Please, support the official release. Otherwise, Marcus will swarm you with leeches…while singing badly.


	2. Chapter 1: Taking Stock

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **TAKING STOCK**

In the middle of a forest, there was a train, currently stilled on the very tracks that should have been taking it somewhere. On the side of it was marked the logo of the Umbrella Corporation, as well as 'Ecliptic Express'. And it was being watched.

On a nearby hill, a young man wearing a white robe, and with long brown hair framing his handsome features stared down at the train. He could see through the eyes of his pets, the leeches he had sent to attack the Ecliptic Express, as part of his plan to take revenge on Umbrella. For the young man was not young at all: he had the mind and personality of Doctor James Marcus, housed in the frame of a colony of leeches, enhanced by the T-Virus. Years ago, Marcus had been assassinated on the orders of Ozwell E Spencer, but the Queen Leech he had been working on fused with his dying body. It took years for Marcus to be fully reborn, but now, here he was. Or at least his proxy was. His true body was back in the Executive Training Facility not far from here.

And yet, his vengeance had hit a snag. He had intended for all of the passengers on the Ecliptic Express to be killed, so that Umbrella would send a team to investigate. He wanted to play with them before he embarked on his plan to spread his leeches, and with them, the T-Virus, across Raccoon City, beginning the wave of an epidemic that would sweep the world, turn it into Hell. And yet, according to his leeches, there were four survivors on the train, survivors who had killed his children that had threatened them.

While Marcus was angry, he was also curious. The quartet stank of viruses, according to the leeches. And they had used what looked like magic to shield themselves from the leeches, and then set them on fire. He had the feeling the younger blonde had spotted him shortly before his attack.

He sent leeches to covertly infiltrate the dining car where they resided, and overheard a conversation. Improbably, the older blonde was called Lisa Trevor, but Marcus was sure that Lisa was a mangled monstrous wreck, not a statuesque blonde who looked like she could give a Tyrant trouble. The younger blonde was called Luna, and the brunette was called Hermione. It was when Hermione called the sole teenaged boy Henry that Marcus had a notion of who he was, especially when Henry said something about his mother, whom Lisa called Alexia.

Henry Ashford, the adopted son of Alexia Ashford. Marcus knew a little about the boy, if only because Wesker and Birkin, before they betrayed him, had visited him a few times, with Birkin railing against Alexia (as he so wearily often did). Apparently Henry Ashford was born Harry Potter, and was, supposedly, a child with the ability to use magic. Spencer had wanted to establish a secret project to graft magical ability through genetic engineering, and only Alexia had accepted, adopting Harry. It seemed that Spencer hadn't been going senile after all, as Marcus wasn't sure that the abilities he witnessed were part of any virus he knew of.

The quartet had sat back down at their table, and their eyes were currently closed, though Luna had apparently drawn some sort of magic circle on the table. His leeches couldn't approach them, being singed by some sort of energy barrier. Curiouser and curiouser, Marcus thought.

Still, they might be entertaining…or a severe setback to his plans. What was more, some new players were arriving. Marcus had sent his minions to attack a military convoy, and one of them had escaped, a prisoner who was even now approaching the train. And a group of special police officers, marked with a logo declaring them to be part of RPD's STARS unit, were only now investigating the convoy.

Marcus frowned. He wondered what the quartet were up to on the train…

* * *

In a blank white space that wasn't so much a place as an abstract concept, an octet of chairs were arranged around a central dais. Five of those chairs were currently occupied. Four of the occupants were female, while a fifth was male. All were naked, with bluish-grey skin with chitinous growths on their body, and save for the tallest woman, had lithe, athletic bodies. The tallest woman was a bit more muscled, though not enough to mar her attractive nature. Three of them were in their late teens, a boy and two girls, practically young adults.

The shorter but more elegant of the two women was frowning. "It seems that our saboteur is revealed," she said in a cultured British accent. "In fact, I suspect I know who he is."

"And what do you suspect, Alexia?" asked one of the teenaged girls.

"Well, Hermione, someone used leeches infected with the T-Virus to attack the Ecliptic Express. I am certain that no part of Umbrella uses leeches as BOWs. But there was one man who was obsessed with the leeches: Doctor James Marcus."

"Marcus is dead, mother," the teenaged boy said.

"He was _reported_ dead, Henry," Alexia corrected her adopted son gently. "He was shot, and then thrown into the waste disposal system in that facility, along with one of his prized leeches. That is what Wesker said on the matter. But it would certainly fit his mentality to take revenge on Umbrella if he did survive somehow, by becoming a BOW. Of course, I am merely speculating, based on intuition more than logic and evidence. That is why I want you to Apparate to him, see if you can discern what he wants. If it is Marcus, I would imagine that his ardour rests mostly with Spencer and the remnants of his regime, so see if you can persuade him to ally with us. Do not take any unnecessary risks. The moment he tries to attack, get back to the train."

"I don't think it will work," the other teenaged girl, with a dreamy expression on her face, remarked. "I can smell the Wrackspurts on him from here. He's full of anger and hate."

"In any case, at least try to confirm who he is. Even if you only see his face up close, I can compare it with what photos I have on file."

Henry sighed. "Very well, mother. I have experience talking with megalomaniacs handling bioweapons. I mean, I was raised by you."

Alexia tittered at that as Henry vanished. Then, she said, "I have just received confirmation from Trent: STARS Bravo Team were just mobilised. You will probably have to deal with them, as they apparently recently made an emergency landing close to your location. Give them necessary information to survive, but be judicious."

* * *

Henry Ashford, born Harry Potter, was used to using Apparition by now. After taking himself out of the mental landscape where they had talked with his mother, he looked out of the window at their possible nemesis, perched on a hill. He concentrated, and soon, he was on the hill, a crack echoing around. The young man looked startled at his sudden appearance, whirling to face him. Then, the young man smiled. "Ah, yes. Alexia's adopted child. The one Spencer was so obsessed with. It's good to meet you at last, Henry Ashford."

"And who are you? Mother thinks you are Doctor James Marcus, back from the dead."

"And what gave her that idea?"

"The leeches. Marcus was obsessed with them."

The young man chuckled, before his features morphed into familiar ones. Henry had seen Marcus as an older man in photos. "Yes. What happened to me was a miracle, my Queen Leech fusing with me to bring me back from the grave. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Ashford?"

"Not all of it. Why did you attack the train? And are you the one responsible for the outbreaks in the Training Facility and the Spencer Mansion?"

Marcus' features became young again. "Well, to answer your second question first, yes. As for the first…it's just the prelude to my revenge on Umbrella."

"Umbrella is changing, Marcus," Henry said. "My mother is changing it. Or did you not notice that Spencer is not in charge anymore?"

Marcus frowned. "Your mother took over from him?"

"And Spencer is dead, along with Sergei Vladimir."

Marcus scowled. Then, after a moment, he said, "It matters not. My desire is not just to make Spencer suffer, or Umbrella, but the world, with me as its immortal god. I had such plans, plans Spencer interrupted. And I won't let you get in the way."

Henry whipped out his wand. "I met a man like you once by the name of Voldemort. My mother and I put an end to him. He thought himself a god and immortal too."

"Even if you killed this body, it'd be a waste of time," Marcus said with a smirk. "This one is merely a proxy, while I am…elsewhere. Have fun with my children. Oh, and the newcomers. There's an escaped fugitive from the Marines, and what looks like members of STARS coming. I look forward to the game I will be playing with you all."

Henry knew he wasn't going to get much more, so he Apparated back to the train and sat back down with the others, re-communing with them…

* * *

"It is Marcus, mother," Henry said as he reappeared on his chair in the mindscape. "And he is only interested in destruction. I could tell. He is like Voldemort."

Alexia clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Anything else?"

"He is definitely behind the outbreaks in the two facilities, and the attack on the train. He must have leeches throughout the forest, as he also had information on an escaped fugitive who was nearby, as well as STARS being around. He didn't go into detail, but somehow, something called a Queen Leech fused with him to bring him back to life."

Alexia sighed gently. "If he were no danger to me and mine, I would be declaring that a miracle, and something I want to study. Sadly, it seems that he is our enemy. Marcus was every bit as megalomaniacal as Spencer, he was just a bit more restrained about it."

"To be fair, Alexia, isn't Umbrella full of those types?" Hermione asked. "Including yourself?"

Alexia chuckled. She wasn't offended by Hermione's statement, as she was a self-aware megalomaniac, and what's more, she was a pragmatic one. "That is indeed the case. I at least try to be…benevolent. Once we are finished here, secure the train and destroy any BOWs or T-Virus infectees within. If anyone comes to the train, STARS or not, make sure they are either safe, or capable of defending themselves. Be wary of any Umbrella troops who board, though, they will be with the American branch, and Albert and William are not at all fond of me. If they are willing to listen, notify them about Marcus' revival."

"You said when you sent us here that Wesker's planning an expedition to the Spencer Mansion. What are we to do about that?" Henry asked.

"Marcus is the priority. Once he is dealt with, go to the Spencer Mansion. I have intelligence that Wesker intends to leave Umbrella. Cooperating with STARS will help me contain the damage that the fools in the American branch seem set on letting spread out of control. In any case, I am not letting all of STARS go in blind. As I told you, I have sent Trent to give a key member of STARS Alpha Team a vital piece of information. In fact, he should be doing this as we speak…"

* * *

Jill Valentine looked at the papers in front of her with a frown. The rather aquiline-looking man had bearded her in her own home, seemingly using what looked like a wand to restrain her in her chair (temporarily) and then somehow, according to him, make her home impervious to eavesdropping. He called himself Trent, and claimed to be a representative of the Umbrella Corporation. He had sat there, waiting for her to go over the papers, and answering some, but not all, of her questions.

And what these papers said were horrific. Umbrella had been doing bioweapons research. Worse, the recent killings in the Arklay Mountains were down to not just one, but two outbreaks in covert labs Umbrella owned. Not only that, but Albert Wesker was a fucking spy for Umbrella!

After finishing, Jill said, quietly, "Why approach me?"

"A number of reasons. The main is that, of all the members of STARS, you perhaps better than most understand the need for discretion, especially being the daughter of a thief," Trent said, steepling his fingers. "Umbrella owns much of this city and its officials. If we told your comrade Chris Redfield, he may have charged off like the proverbial bull in a china shop. He was known for disciplinary problems in the Air Force, after all. Rebecca Chambers is young and naïve. Barry Burton is going to be blackmailed by Wesker. Brad Vickers would panic. The allegiances of the other members are uncertain, and in any case, Bravo Team is already in transit. Indeed, the last I heard before I came here, contact was lost after their helicopter made a forced landing, albeit not a crash one. In all likelihood, you will be sent out tomorrow night."

"To the Spencer Mansion, so that Wesker can watch us die," Jill muttered angrily.

"Indeed. Keep in mind that while I work for the American branch of Umbrella, it is the head of the European branch I answer to, Alexia Ashford. She is moving Umbrella away from bioweapons. Not wholly, but her emphasis will be more on genetic enhancement and medical advancement. Unfortunately, the American branch have been reticent about this, and a schism of sorts has developed since she took over Umbrella from Spencer. Once the outbreaks have been contained, Alexia would like your help, along with the rest of STARS, in bringing the American branch to heel. She hopes that this way, any damage done to Umbrella in general is limited. If the American branch can't be brought to heel, then she will help STARS expose its dirty laundry."

Jill scowled. "Playing puppets to Umbrella?"

"It's better than trying to bring it to the authorities in this town, who are puppets to Umbrella's American branch. And Washington is riddled with their agents too. I personally don't like being a puppet to Alexia…but she seems to care about keeping fatalities to a minimum, if only to avoid bad publicity. She's heartless, but a pragmatist. You'd probably like her son and his entourage better: while sharing many of his mother's views, he has a better grasp of morality. It is he and his entourage you will probably meet. In all likelihood, they will meet some if not all of your Bravo Team. However, you may not meet them until the Spencer Mansion. Once you're at the Spencer Mansion, I would suggest telling Redfield at the very least if you can. You may need help in obtaining the keys, and once in the mansion, it's a moot point."

Jill scowled again as she looked at the list of the various keys. Some were 'Emblem Keys', with an emblem of a sword or something that unlocked various doors in the Spencer Mansion. There were Crests, Medals, even Death Masks. And there were lists of creatures Umbrella had been working on, like zombies, Crimson Heads, Hunters and the like.

"If Umbrella is responsible for this," she said, "I'll help. But tell Alexia Ashford, I do it for the people affected by Umbrella, not for her."

"Miss Valentine, I'm sure she doesn't care for what reason you do this, as long as you do it," Trent said. "Alexia will ensure that Burton's family is kept safe. Once they are, she will send a message to her son, who will endeavour to deliver it to Burton."

"Her son. Who is, how old?"

"Nearly eighteen. In the magical world, Henry Ashford gained undeserved fame at the age of one for surviving an instant death curse, something his birth parents probably had a hand in. During his brief time in it, he showed himself to be very resourceful and brave for his age. If there was anyone in Umbrella who I would rather have at my back, Miss Valentine, it would be Henry. He may be something of a pragmatist when it comes to morality, true, but he is considerably more moral than his mother, and actually steered his mother away from the megalomania that seems to infect higher-ups in Umbrella. Well, mostly. I must get going, or else I will be missed." He took most of the files away from Jill, leaving her the annotated maps of the Spencer Mansion. "I will give you the files again after your sojourn to the mansion, assuming you survive. I wish you the very best of luck, Jill Valentine." With that, he disappeared with a soft crack, like a whip muted, leaving Jill alone with her thoughts.

She rankled at having to be the catspaw of Umbrella, or at least their European branch. She knew that Alexia Ashford wasn't doing this out of the goodness of her heart. But all the same, she had to appreciate the heads-up. It was better than going in blind. Especially with Wesker a turncoat, and possibly set to blackmail Barry into doing his dirty work.

Jill sighed. Hopefully, after this was done, she'd be able to bring Umbrella, even if it was only the American branch, to book. That would give the victims of these attacks some peace…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it, the story picking up, more or less, where we left off. You'll notice I took a leaf out of SD Perry's novelisation of the first game here, though instead of Trent bearding Jill in the RPD, I have him intercepting her at home. Jill's not happy with working with Umbrella, though she'll be considerably better once she meets Henry and his group.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Chapter 2: Billy and Becky

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **BILLY AND BECKY**

Having decided to remain on the train for the time being, Henry and the others reckoned they would try to find a way to get it going again. So, having vacated the dining car for the time being, they went down the stairs and into the main passenger car in time to see someone standing in the middle of the car, looking around in confusion, having apparently just entered. He was a tall, young man with hair reaching his neck, dressed in trousers and a singlet. Most noteworthy of all, handcuffs dangled from one of his wrists. When he noticed them, he frowned, warily.

"Identify yourself," Lisa said.

"Wow, you're a pretty tall woman. Are you with the Corps or something?" the young man asked, deflecting the question.

"She asked you a question," Henry said. "If you don't mind, we'd like it answered."

"British, eh? Look, limey, I've got a lot of questions of my own, like why are all these people dead?"

"Bioterrorism attack. We're the only survivors. Your name?"

The young man seemed about to retort, presumably making some unwise remark, until he stared behind them. "Umm, guys, should those corpses be moving?"

Normally, Henry wouldn't have dignified that with any response, if it weren't for a couple of reasons. The first was that he could actually hear something moving behind him. The second was that he knew these people had been infected with the T-Virus, and it had been long enough to let the infection run its course. Oddly enough, he could hear rain outside. And someone approaching the train from outside. He whirled to find the dead passengers rising as zombies.

The door leading out of the train opened, and he heard a young woman yell behind them, "Freeze!"

Hermione remarked, as the zombies approached, "I don't think these guys are listening."

"What?" After a brief pause, the woman asked, quietly, "What are they?"

"Deadly," Lisa said succinctly. "Aim for the head."

Henry turned back to face the newcomer. She was dressed in a green combat uniform with a white bulletproof vest, the distinctive logo of STARS on it, her boyishly short hair framing an elfin face. She was clearly only about their age, maybe eighteen or nineteen at the oldest. She seemed torn between covering the young man, and aiming at the zombies. "Shoot them!" Henry snapped, before firing off Cutting Curses at the zombies' heads. This galvanised the young woman, who shot them quite expertly for someone who was probably a rookie.

As the deafening echoes of the gunshots died away, a dozen zombies, once passengers of the Ecliptic Express, littered the floor, blood and decaying flesh oozing into the carpet. After a moment, the young woman stared at Henry, as did the young man. "What the hell was that?" the young man demanded. "Were those magic wands?"

"They must be," the young woman muttered. "Dammit, the Magical Congress is going to be on us for you guys using magic in front of a No-Maj."

"I think we have bigger concerns," Lisa said dryly. "Are you a witch or a Squib?"

"Squib. I am Officer Rebecca Chambers of STARS Bravo Team," the woman said. "This man is Billy Coen, a fugitive wanted by the US Marine Corps for involvement in the massacre of 23 people."

As Hermione sent a Body-Bind at Coen, sending him crashing to the floor, Henry said, "I am Henry Ashford. This is my wife, Hermione, my friend and colleague, Luna Lovegood, and my bodyguard and troubleshooter, Lisa Trevor."

"Henry Ashford?" Rebecca blinked. "You mean Harry Potter?"

"I mean, Henry Ashford," Henry said a little tightly. He got annoyed how people didn't seem to get the drill, despite making himself very clear back in 1994. "I presume you read about that mess with the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

Rebecca nodded. "Is it true that you beat the living tar out of a dragon?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Look, what's going on? What's with those zombie-things?"

"It is a long story. First, I need to check something," Henry said. He approached Billy, his wand out.

"What do you intend to do?"

"Check something. How did you know he killed those people?"

"We found a crashed jeep, and a transfer order," Rebecca said. "The Marines there were dead. While I don't think Coen was responsible for them, the documents we found showed what he did."

"Well, my godfather was convicted wrongly of murdering people. In any case, even if Coen is guilty, he may be an asset rather than a liability. Which is why I will use Legilimency. You do know what that is?"

"A little. It's magical mind reading, isn't it?"

"Crudely put, but yes." He looked down at Coen. "Normally, I would refrain from doing this, but I believe the term is 'needs must as the Devil rides out'."

Henry was in and out of Coen's mind in a brief period, and what he saw disgusted him. "Officer Chambers, Coen is innocent. I checked his memories and found out what happened. Their squad got dropped off to deal with some insurgent group in Africa in a village. They were air-dropped in the wrong area, and some of them died getting to the village. The problem was, the village had no insurgents, but their commanding officer decided to kill them anyway. Billy tried to stop them, but he got knocked out and turned into a scapegoat for his troubles."

Rebecca looked at him. "You're not making that up, are you?"

"I would show you the memories I saw if I had a Pensieve on hand. Coen's not only innocent, we can trust him. Hermione?"

Hermione released the Body-Bind, and Coen shot to his feet, shaking his head as if to shake something out. "I don't want to go through that again. Could you ask a guy permission before you rifle through his memories like a pervert through a panty drawer?"

"It was more expedient to do it now, so that you can avoid Officer Chambers shooting you, Second Lieutenant Coen," Henry said, having gotten the man's rank from his memories.

"Just Billy," Coen said. "Do you mind explaining what the hell's going on? What did you mean, bioterrorism? And magic wands?"

"These zombies are actually humans infected by a special virus known as the T-Virus," Henry said. "It was released by a man by the name of Doctor James Marcus. The recent deaths in the Arklay Mountains were due to outbreaks he engineered in two separate secure laboratories."

"Are we safe from the virus?" Rebecca asked. It was admirable how quickly she accepted the situation, and went for a key, important issue.

"From airborne infection, yes. Just try not to let these things bite you," Hermione said.

"They kill your mind with an excess of Wrackspurts," Luna chimed in.

After a brief moment of silence, Lisa said, "She's like that."

"But who would create such a virus?" Rebecca asked.

"Umbrella, specifically their American branch," Henry said. "Umbrella has been engaged in bioweapons research since its inception, with pharmaceuticals research as just a cover, and the T-Virus is one of the products of the research. My mother, Lady Alexia Ashford, is working to move Umbrella away from bioweapons, and into researching medical uses for the viruses already created. Unfortunately, the American branch isn't playing ball. We were sent here to investigate the outbreaks. Marcus, however, attacked this train."

Coen shifted rather uneasily. "And why are you telling us this?"

"Would you prefer that we kept this to ourselves and caused a lot of misunderstandings later when it all comes out?" Hermione asked. "Raccoon's government is dotted with Umbrella's agents, most answering to the American branch, who have refused to move away from bioweapons research. Anyway, even if we wanted to cover it up, we wouldn't have to kill you: we can use a Memory Charm to erase what happened."

"She's telling the truth in that regard, Coen," Rebecca said. "I'm a Squib, a person without magic born to parents with it. If magic gets revealed in front of those without it and who shouldn't have knowledge of it, they can erase the memories with a spell." She looked at Henry and the others. "And given what they said…while I'm not sure I can trust them completely, at least they were upfront."

Before Coen could reply, there was a sudden crash from a nearby car, the one with the bedrooms. "We'll continue this later," Henry said. "That may be a survivor."

* * *

As it turned out, it wasn't. At least, not for long. The man they found was badly wounded, and was another member of STARS. Edward Dewey, one of their pilots. "Edward!" Rebecca yelled, by his side in a flash.

Hermione knelt down by his side, and examined the wounds. "He's encountered at least a zombie," she muttered.

Edward looked over them, only to start when he saw Coen. He tried raising his gun, only for Henry to get in the way. "Where is the rest of Bravo Team?" Henry asked.

"I don't know…" Edward rasped. "The forest…full of zombies…and monsters…" He looked at Henry. "Who are you?" he asked painfully.

"We are with Umbrella's Europe branch, cleaning up the mess of the Americans. Do not worry. Those responsible will not get away with this."

Edward scoffed. Sadly, that, and the weak, febrile coughing he did, was the last thing he did. He soon expired. Rebecca emitted a strangled noise of grief as she realised that.

Hermione then aimed her wand at the man's head. " _Reducto_ ," she intoned, and soon, Edward's head was pulped.

"What was that for?!" Rebecca demanded, her upset understandable given the circumstances.

"He was bitten by a zombie," Hermione said. "I'm sorry, Chambers, but his body was about to start turning into one of those things. The T-Virus can work surprisingly fast. I'd sooner not have to deal with another zombie. In any case, it's a quicker end than he would have gotten."

Rebecca's retort died on her lips when the windows smashed in, and a pair of Cerberuses, dogs infected by the T-Virus, barged in. "Cerberuses!" Henry yelled.

Between Rebecca's shooting and the spells unleashed, the two zombified dogs were soon killed. "This was caused by a virus?" Rebecca demanded incredulously.

Lisa nodded. She noticed Billy taking the gun from Edward, but was not aiming it at them. "Chambers, we'll need to get the train up and running again. There's an Umbrella facility nearby that the perpetrator may be hiding at. We apologise for disrupting your investigation, but STARS' investigation has been compromised by Umbrella's American branch from the start. Rest assured, we will help you survive, and find a way to bring the responsible parties to justice."

Rebecca looked sceptical, but shook her head. "I'm going to regret this. We'll need to search the train to see if there are any survivors left. Then, we'll worry about getting it up and running…"

* * *

Alexia Ashford, thanks to the viruses sleeting through her body, rarely needed sleep now, a veritable boon to her work, even if she spent less time in the laboratory than she liked. This current crisis in the Arklay Mountains, half a world away, was eating away at her time.

Which was why, while her adopted son and his entourage were on the Ecliptic Express, she and her own entourage had taken a Portkey from Rockfort Island to Racoon City. Accompanying her was a man with brown hair and eyes with an amber ring to them, a dark-haired man with grey eyes, and a blonde woman with sharp, confident features. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Alexandria 'Alex' Wesker.

This quartet strode imperiously into the American branch of Umbrella's secret laboratory, ignoring calls to halt. Really, what could they do? Alexia was the CEO of Umbrella now, and her aristocratic features were schooled in an expression that nonetheless screamed ' _Don't fuck with me_ '.

They made it through various security checkpoints, before they came to a room where a trio of people were huddled around a communications set. "…radio silence until you have reached the train," said a deep, suave voice. "Over and out." The speaker then got up and looked at Alexia. Blonde haired, wearing sunglasses even in the dark room, cool and calm. Albert Wesker, former researcher for Umbrella, and now one of their spies within STARS. "Alexia…would you like me to dispense with the pleasantries?"

"Yes," Alexia said. "I came here not only because you seem insistent on doing things without my input, but also because my son has discerned vital information, information both you and Birkin would be interested in."

Birkin himself was there, a rather harried-looking scientist in a labcoat. "I heard your son and the others were on the Ecliptic Express. We've sent a unit over."

"I hope not to assassinate him," Alexia said with a dangerous smile.

Sirius nodded. "We'd take issue to that."

"You would, blood-traitor," said the third occupant of the room, a boy about Harry's age with blonde hair, and a slight resemblance to Albert.

"The unit we sent over are to find out what happened, and to destroy the train before moving to the Training Facility," Albert Wesker said, waving at the boy to remain silent. "If your son and his entourage are still alive, then they will be escorted there."

"They are still alive," Alexia said. "Henry has found the culprit."

"Of course Potter has," sneered the boy.

"Your jealousy towards my child is noted, Draco," Alexia said. "His last name, however, is Ashford."

"Draco, hold your tongue," Albert said quietly. Draco Malfoy, or, Draco Wesker as he was now known, subsided sullenly. He had only recently learned that Albert Wesker was his father, instead of that Pureblood scion Lucius Malfoy, who had been one of the casualties of Henry Ashford's decimation of Voldemort's forces. He had abandoned his mother and Magical Britain upon learning this, and was now working within Umbrella.

Birkin crossed his arms and glared at Alexia. "Are you going to keep us in suspense, Alexia? Or are you going to give us a straight answer?"

"Both. I am well aware that both of you, on Spencer's orders, assassinated Doctor James Marcus. However, you were rather careless in disposing of his body. Somehow, his body fused with the leech he had been experimenting on, and he, or at least a leech-based BOW emulating his personality and appearance, is the responsible party for the outbreaks."

Alexia had to admit, she loved the dumbfounded expressions of shock on their faces. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would have laughed out loud. But sadly, she had to content herself with a smug smirk. As galling as it was, she'd need to work with them to try and get things done right…assuming they were willing to cooperate, anyway…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we have the crew meeting Billy Coen and Rebecca Chambers. We don't really know much about Rebecca's background, beyond her being a prodigy, so I thought I'd make her a Squib, albeit one looked after by her parents. Yes, Harry/Henry and company are revealing too much, but they want Rebecca on side, and better to let her know the difference between Umbrella's American and European branches early on. They could always Obliviate her later if necessary, though Alexia actually wants to cultivate allies against Umbrella of America.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Typhon

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **TYPHON**

 _So, how did they take the news, mother?_ Henry asked as they made their way through the train.

A chuckle came down their mental link. _Not very well at all. Draco had no idea what was going on, and had his usual blood purity bluster spouting from his colorectal sphincter of a mouth. Birkin and Wesker, however, do actually appreciate the gravity of the situation. They were the ones who carried out Marcus' assassination, after all. They are, at least, considering the possibility rather than calling me a liar. While I leave them to scramble to try and deal with this, I intend to send Black and Lupin to the Spencer Mansion. Covertly. Wesker does not need to know. I am getting the impression Wesker intends to leave Umbrella._

 _What about Birkin?_

 _No, he is still obsessed with perfecting the G-Virus. That being said, I heard he is working on a new version of G. Only rumours, but he has established a project called Typhon. I only found out, through Trent, shortly before I sent you. Incidentally, who are the others with you? One of them seems to be from STARS, judging by what I can see through your eyes_.

Henry sighed. _Rebecca Chambers is with STARS Bravo Team. She is also a Squib. The other is a former Marine called Billy Cohen. He was framed for a massacre. I used Legilimency on him. He is innocent. They are both good in a firefight. Both are, of course, horrified that this is from a bioweapon release, and suspicious of us. However, they have agreed to help us stop Marcus._

 _Good. I will leave dealing with them to your personal discretion. Trent, incidentally, has made contact with Valentine. Keep me apprised of the situation, Henry. Much rides on this_.

Henry nodded, and then heard a crackle from Rebecca's radio. The STARS rookie took it. When an incoherent noise emanated from it, she activated it. "This is Rebecca, over."

The voice of a man came from it, partly veiled by static. " _Rebecca, can you hear me? This is Enrico. What's your location? Over._ "

 _Enrico…meaning Enrico Marini, the Captain of STARS Bravo Team_ , Henry thought.

"I'm on the abandoned Ecliptic Express, Enrico," Rebecca said. "I've found survivors of a bioterrorism attack. Edward's dead, killed by dogs infected by a virus."

"… _I see. Rebecca, we've found more information from the wrecked jeep about the fugitive. Coen killed as many as 23 people. We've also confirmed that he was institutionalised._ "

"Enrico? There's a Code: Hecate who has confirmed Coen's innocence."

Code: Hecate. Amongst American law enforcement officers in the know, Code: Hecate was shorthand for a wizard or witch being involved. Which meant Marini had some knowledge of the Wizarding World, Henry thought.

"… _Put them on_."

Rebecca handed over the radio. Henry briefly cast a spell to boost the signal, and then activated the radio. "Captain Marini? This is Henry Ashford of the Umbrella Corporation's European branch."

" _Are you the Code: Hecate?_ "

"Yes. I presume you are aware of magic?"

" _Only because I had to deal with your damned Aurors before, acting all high and mighty and calling me a No-Maj. I know Rebecca is what you call a Squib, though nobody else does to my knowledge. Did you use that Legilimency thing to check Coen?_ "

"Yes. But of greater importance is the bioterrorism attack. Captain, your men are in great danger. A man by the name of Doctor James Marcus has unleashed a bioweapon. This bioweapon has a mutagenic effect, and causes the organisms it infects to become unusually aggressive. If it infects humans, it turns them into what are effectively zombies. The strains we are seeing are infectious through bodily fluids, so do not let the zombies bite you. Be on the lookout for infected dogs as well, and leeches. The latter can swarm. I know this sounds like the plot of a bad horror movie, but believe me, it is all too real. What is more, the RPD is riddled with Umbrella's agents."

" _You're with Umbrella._ "

"The European branch. There has been a schism in the company for some time. My associates and I will be accompanying Chambers and Coen to ensure that Marcus is stopped. I suggest you keep this information from spreading, Captain Marini. Umbrella's American branch would not hesitate to kill you if they believed you were going to expose them. They have stymied our efforts to resolve this competently. Rest assured, there will be justice for those killed by Marcus' insanity and the American branch's incompetence. However, be on your guard. Albert Wesker is an agent of Umbrella's American branch, but he is also seeking to betray Umbrella, and STARS, for his own personal gain."

" _And how do I know I can trust you?_ "

"I have shown you significant trust, as well as in Officer Chambers, by telling you this, and I would appreciate reciprocation. That you know about Code: Hecate shows that you can be trusted with classified information. However, do not advertise to Wesker that you know his true allegiance, and should we survive this, Irons can't be trusted. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to help all of STARS survive, but I will do my best to ensure that Chambers does. The more STARS that survive, the better. Incidentally, Marini, if you ever make your way to the Spencer Mansion or the former Umbrella Executive Training Facility, be careful. The bioweapon outbreaks are centred there. We will be heading to the latter as soon as we can."

"… _Very well. Thanks for telling us this much, at least. You're helping us survive for damage control, right?_ "

"Amongst other things, Captain Marini. The T-Virus and the bioweapons it has spawned are not to be trifled with. Neither is Umbrella. Thank you for your indulgence, Captain Marini. I will give you back to Officer Chambers." He handed the radio back to Rebecca.

As Rebecca spoke to Enrico quietly, Hermione frowned. "We had better be on the lookout. It's possible that this train was being used to transport BOWs."

"BOWs?" Billy asked.

"Bio-Organic Weapons," Lisa translated. "Animals and other organisms modified by the T-Virus, and others. Some are normal animals before being infected. Others are genetically engineered. All with fun titles like Hunters, Lickers, Chimeras, and so on."

"If we are lucky, we will only encounter loose BOWs at the Training Facility," Henry said. "Then again, I doubt we will be. The American branch's competence has already shown itself to be abysmal."

"Speaking of the American branch, what was that you said about Captain Wesker to Enrico?" Rebecca asked, having finished her conversation with Enrico.

"Albert Wesker has been a researcher working for Umbrella for over a decade," Henry said. "He joined STARS mostly to keep an eye on things from the inside, in case an incident like this occurred. The rest of STARS could be compromised, though I doubt any of them are on Umbrella's payroll. They may be coerced or blackmailed by Wesker, though."

"And Chief Irons?" Rebecca asked.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste. "He was able to dodge a couple of rape convictions during his time at university…I mean, college to you. Umbrella helped bury the charges almost completely later in his life while helping him become the Chief of the RPD. We also heard rumours he's actually a serial killer with a taxidermy fixation, though we have no hard evidence."

"The Nargles spirit them away," Luna said.

"So we can't trust anyone in the RPD?" Rebecca asked.

"Nobody in the higher ranks. They're either Umbrella's cronies, or else Umbrella, usually through Irons, has scared them into complicity," Hermione said. "We're working to make sure Umbrella's American branch gets taken to account. Henry's mother is working to turn Umbrella into bioweapons defence rather than creating bioweapons, as well as focusing far more on medicine and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, much like the Wizarding World, Umbrella's American branch is full of idiots who think they know better than anyone else."

"That bad, huh?" Rebecca asked. "Okay, well, we'll worry about that later. If everyone on this train is dead, maybe we should see about getting it moving again. You said the outbreak is centred on this Training Facility of Umbrella's, right?"

"Yes," Henry said. Before he could elaborate, though, the train lurched, and began moving. Henry frowned. "Either Marcus is getting impatient, or Umbrella's little squad is here already. We need to be cautious, and make sure the train does not crash…"

* * *

Birkin was heading back to his laboratory, Draco in tow. While he didn't like the odious little shit, who had far less of the charm of either of his fathers, Draco did have some intelligence. No social graces, but he picked up the knowledge needed for virology and genetic engineering pretty well. Birkin supposed that part of it was due to the fact that Wesker, while no genius like Birkin, was nonetheless highly intelligent himself. Draco wasn't that intelligent most of the time, but when it came to gaining power, he was surprisingly driven, and he had blossomed with Umbrella.

Indeed, it had been Draco who had provided the first spark of the idea of what would become Typhon. The virus with which Birkin would regain his supremacy within Umbrella. And the two, despite being wizard and Muggle, got along somewhat, albeit in a professional context.

"It's too much to hope that Potter and his little harem will be killed by Marcus," Draco was saying more to himself. Wesker had been left to coordinate the squad of Umbrella operatives who had just managed to infiltrate the train, while Alexia and her entourage were off elsewhere. "If the Dark Lord couldn't kill him, then some Muggle fused with leeches couldn't."

"Don't underestimate Doctor Marcus," Birkin said. "Wesker and I did. We should have burned the body, not chucked it and that damned leech into a disposal chamber. Then again, Ashford and his seraglio shouldn't be underestimated either. Your eyewitness account of Henry Ashford's powers during the Tri-Wizard Tournament were useful. However, Alexia is overly confident that the S-Virus is the ultimate of the Progenitor viruses, or indeed the ultimate bioweapon. Soon, we will disabuse her of that notion."

"I hope so. That magic-stealing _Muggle_ will know her place, along with the Mudblood and Blood-Traitors."

Birkin withheld a snort at Draco's hypocrisy. After all, he was a Half-Blood, technically. Instead, as they reached the laboratory, Birkin thought about his family. It was Annette's day off, and she had been looking after Sherry. Birkin sighed quietly at the thought. He felt ambivalent about his daughter. He loved her, yes, but their relationship was a distant one, partly because of his work at Umbrella. And there were times when he caught himself thinking of her as a potential test subject. That actually disturbed him, and he found that ironic, considering that he never had any qualms about experimenting on the likes of other test subjects, like Lisa Trevor, before Alexia spirited her away and turned her into a she-Tyrant dyke (and if Birkin knew that Lisa was dating Remus Lupin, of all people, he would have been mildly surprised).

They walked through into the laboratory, with Birkin opening the drawer with his notes. "Given what has happened, we should accelerate our timetable as much as it is safe to do so," Birkin said. "Thankfully, that re-engineering we put the Nemesis parasite through seems to have worked. Fusion is working well. Those biological samples you obtained from the various magical creatures seems to have worked well."

"I'm glad," Draco said, sounding anything but. "It's ludicrously hard, not to mention expensive, obtaining unicorn blood. Especially with no questions asked."

"If I had known or believed such things had existed, I would have had Spencer get me as much as he could," Birkin said. "Dragons, unicorns, Merpeople…turning those directly into BOWs may be more trouble than they're worth. We already have enough trouble controlling the Tyrants, not to mention Lickers and Hunters. But using their material as part of a new virus…one that will surpass the G-Virus, Veronica, even that bitch's much-vaunted Sentinel…" A vicious grin split Birkin's features.

Typhon. Named for the ancient monster of Greek mythology. The most lethal creature in the world, only felled by Zeus during a calamitous battle. But this Typhon would surpass God and Sentinel and Tyrant and Veronica. It would be a culmination, a fusion between G, Nemesis, and the power and ability of so many magical creatures. It would grant those infected by it the power to ascend beyond that of godhood.

Typhon. The ultimate bioweapon. And it was all his own. His trump card to use against that pompous upstart bitch Alexia, and her lackeys. Soon, they would see that his creation was utterly supreme…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, here you have it. I know the first half of the chapter basically went over old ground. We'll skip to after the train crashes into the Training Facility for the next chapter. That being said, Typhon is something that's going to play a larger role later on. I had this notion of Birkin improving the G-Virus so that he's far more lucid when infected. Typhon will be the new Super-G.**

 **Review-answering time! I'm actually astonished at how many reviews this got from just the first two chapters.**

 **tamagat** **: Rebecca apparently appeared in a** ** _Resident Evil_** **stageshow, albeit one exclusive to Japan. Apparently she became an academic in Australia. Billy, however, has disappeared.**

 **davidteague3950** **: Having not played** ** _Prototype_** **yet, I can't say. I'm sure it inspires a lot of debate between fandoms, though.**

 **Dragon Master Naruto 003** **: No, I don't. I will bring in HUNK later, though.**

 **Temporal Knight** **: Yes, Rebecca will become part of the anti-BOW alliance that Alexia is forming (well, anti-Umbrella of America, anyway).**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Wreckage and Relics

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **WRECKAGE AND RELICS**

Billy looked over at Henry as the ex-Marine was being healed by Hermione. "So…any bright ideas that don't end with us being involved in something like a train crash?" he asked wryly.

Henry shot him an annoyed look, rendered all the more impressive by the burning wreckage around them. "Be thankful that we all arrived at our destination intact and sane. Between Marcus and the American branch's incompetence…"

Henry then proceeded to begin extinguishing the flames with Aguamenti charms, while Hermione and Luna healed Billy and Rebecca (the four Sentinel-enhanced humans not needing healing). Lisa was currently doing some reconnaissance. They were almost certainly at the Umbrella Executive Training Facility. And not a moment too soon.

As predicted, a number of BOWs were loose on the train. Between Marcus' leeches, zombies, and a massive scorpion, they had their hands full. Thankfully, the _Alohamora_ charm allowed them to bypass virtually all locks, save for the broken ones. However, Henry had decided to clean out the train of any BOWs to reduce the risk to others, and that had nearly cost them, when they had barely been able to get the train to brake in time. Okay, they derailed the train, but they were alive, and intact, more or less. The injuries Billy and Rebecca had suffered were relatively minor.

"So, what next?" Rebecca asked.

Henry pursed his lips. "We track down Marcus. We'll also need to find the self-destruct sequence trigger for this place at least, to contain the BOWs and any zombies. We will also check this place to ensure there are no other surprises Marcus left behind. The _Alohamora_ charm can bypass any of the puzzle doors, thankfully."

"Puzzle doors," Billy said flatly.

"Spencer had a fetish for puzzle doors, doors that only unlock when you have all the pieces of, say, a crest, or certain emblems. The Spencer Mansion is riddled with them, and this place is probably no exception," Henry said. "They would slow us down considerably if we did not use the charm."

"Those special forces soldiers," Rebecca said. "You think they're from Umbrella?"

Luna nodded. The corpse of one of those soldiers was nearby, having been attacked by a leech. With Rebecca healed, she gestured for the STARS medic to come over, and pointed to the familiar logo on the shoulder. "The Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service," Luna said. "Publicly, when Umbrella wants to admit it, they are a PMC owned by Umbrella that acts as a means of rescuing civilians from biohazard outbreaks. Privately, they're used for anything from escorting BOWs all the way to assassination. The UBCS were the ones sent to kill Marcus. Many of those are war criminals, exiled soldiers, and mercenaries. HUNK's rather nice, though."

Hermione shook her head. "Few in the UBCS are. I thought that Carlos guy wasn't too bad, but that Nicholai…"

There was a noise from the exit, and Lisa came in. "We are definitely at the Training Facility," the tall woman said. "We will have to make a brief trip through a sewer, and then we'll be in the entrance hall."

"No BOWs?" Henry asked.

"None that I have noticed so far, but that means little. Before we came here, I did research on the BOWs they were testing here. Plenty of arthropod BOWs, along with the primates codenamed 'Eliminators', and there's the possibility of Hunters."

Henry stared, before he snapped, "Damnation!"

"What's the matter?" Rebecca asked.

"Hunters…" Henry muttered. "We need a shotgun of some sort if we can find one, or maybe a grenade launcher or a heavy-calibre handgun, a magnum of some kind. We are fine against Hunters, but you and Coen…"

"They're bad enough to need a shotgun?" Billy asked.

"Think of the bastard mutant offspring of a gorilla and a velociraptor, capable of decapitating a human with a single swipe of their claws," Lisa said. "They run fast, jump high and far, and they are vicious."

"What do you mean you'll be fine?" Rebecca asked. "I know you have magic, but…wait a moment. You healed us when the train derailed…but you didn't heal yourselves."

Henry, after a moment reproaching himself for his slip of the tongue, decided to come clean. It was perhaps something of an impulsive move, but he needed to gain their trust, and it was better to tell them now than for it to come out later. After all, they couldn't conceal that they had powers beyond magic for too long. "We did not need to. In a manner, all four of us are BOWs ourselves. Enhanced strength, stamina, speed, and senses." With his fingernail, he cut open the palm of his hand, and let the blood fall to the ground, before it burst into flames. "All thanks to my mother's greatest creation: the Sentinel Virus. A chimaera of a number of Umbrella's viruses, and perhaps one of the safest, relatively speaking. You read about my performance in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Chambers? Did you happen to read about how I defeated a dragon?"

"I did, but…I thought that to be a form of self-transfiguration," Rebecca said, staring. "You…experimented on yourselves?" she added in a horrified hiss.

Henry rolled his eyes. "My mother experimented on me. Hermione and Luna were given the refined form of Sentinel. Lisa…" He looked over at Lisa, who stepped forward, intending to tell her story herself.

"My father was the architect of the Spencer Mansion, George Trevor. My mother and I were trapped by Umbrella and turned into guinea pigs for their viruses," Lisa said. "It was partially thanks to me that a number of their bioweapons exist. Not that I knew anything about them at the time. The mutations distorted me in body and mind, and it was only Alexia's experiments on me that allowed me to regain my sanity and intelligence. The fact that my body is relatively…normal in appearance now is a bonus. You have no idea what it is like, to be little more than a rabid monster, trapped in a grotesque body, not knowing where your mother or father are. The four of us here are more than human. I don't doubt that many would call us monsters."

"So, why don't you kill us?" Billy asked suspiciously.

Rebecca scoffed. "Leaving aside whether they want to do it or not, if they want to, they could wipe our memories. Wizards have a spell that can erase memories and plant new ones. Plus, if they really wanted to, they could use the Imperius. That's a mind-control spell, and one of the Unforgivables, but if they really wanted to, they'd use it."

Henry nodded approvingly. "You make good points, Chambers. And the truth of the matter is, cooperating with STARS will help my mother, and Umbrella, in the long run. Not these cretins in the American branch, but the true Umbrella."

Luna smiled. "After all, what does an umbrella actually do? It keeps the rain off you. It _protects_ you."

Hermione added, "I know it's asking a lot for you to trust us, but…"

Rebecca shook her head. "It is. But you know more about this, and you've been upfront with most of what is going on. And if you wanted to cover it up, there are so many ways you could have done so by now. I'll trust you for now. But I'll be keeping an eye on you four."

Henry nodded in acknowledgement, before he found a chunk of masonry that had been dislodged by the crash, a hunk of stone the size of a cricket ball. In one hand, he crushed the stone into powder. "By all means, do so, Chambers. Just remember what we can do before you try anything rash…"

* * *

Rebecca found herself talking to Hermione as they journeyed through the sewers. The two precocious young women had clicked over their intelligence and their overachieving ways, and Rebecca was certainly full of questions. "So, I get that the T-Virus creates those zombies. What are the others?"

"It'd take a while to list them," Hermione said. "Sentinel is basically a hybrid, as Henry said, of multiple viruses. And it is continually being improved. For example, sometime after Luna and I were first infected, we were given an upgraded version, allowing us to move at speed."

Billy stared. "That's…scary. Alexia isn't trying to make a supersoldier army to take over the world?"

Henry scoffed in disdain. "You have been watching too many movies. Imagine you do manage to take over the world. Imagine the sheer amount of work you would need to undertake in order to _keep_ it under your control. And while we are strong thanks to Sentinel, we are far from invincible, though I am sure that many who would gain our powers would feel that way. Foolishly."

* * *

They soon clambered up a ladder, Lisa going first and opening up a heavy metal hatch. The sextet looked around at the mansion-like hall they found themselves in. Opulent, but clearly past its glory days, with dust everywhere. And there, at the head of the stairs, was a large portrait of an older Doctor Marcus.

"Is this the guy you said caused the outbreak?" Billy asked.

Henry nodded. "He has been resurrected via his own BOWs. Remember that leech man we fought on the train?"

Rebecca grimaced at the reminder. Fire spells proved most effective against that bizarre amalgamation of leeches in Marcus' form. "That's what he looks like?"

"Not now. He looks like what he did when he was younger. The leeches basically rejuvenated him," Henry said.

Suddenly, a strident voice blared out from hidden speakers. " _Attention! This is Dr Marcus! Please be silent as we reflect upon our company motto. Obedience breeds discipline. Discipline breeds unity. Unity breeds power. Power is life._ "

"Sounded like something out of a fascist rally," Hermione muttered with a scowl. "Was that automated?"

"Probably," Henry said. "But Marcus admitted he was here when I spoke to him earlier. He may have just triggered that just to get a reaction from us…"

* * *

Marcus smirked as he heard that from the surveillance he had on the entrance hall. Ashford's brat was on the money. However, he had bigger fish to fry, as he hacked into the surveillance feed leading to where he knew Wesker and Birkin were cowering. He watched as one of the screens showed Wesker…along with Alexia. Birkin was not present. "Well, what a surprise," Marcus said. "I didn't think you two would deign to work together."

Both of them scoffed, and Wesker said, " _Doctor Marcus…you look rather hale and hearty for a dead man._ "

Marcus blinked. "How did you…?"

Alexia shrugged. " _My son told me. You have your ways of communicating with your children, and I have mine, Marcus. I have to say, though, becoming a BOW agrees with you. Your looks have improved, even if your temperament has not._ "

"Still the precocious prodigy, Alexia," Marcus said. "You intend to work with my murderers?"

" _I am cleaning up the American branch's mess_ ," Alexia retorted. " _Being the CEO of this company is closer to a janitorial position, much to my irritation. Incidentally, accusing Albert and William of being murderers is somewhat rich, considering that you are not dead…nor that your own hands are clean. Even before becoming a moving midden of_ Hirudinea(1), _you used other people for test subjects. Admittedly, so did I…but that is something of the norm for Umbrella. I shall not waste my time or breath on trying to persuade you from giving up your crusade. Having you killed was one of Spencer's better ideas. Sadly, I have to clean up after him. Or rather, my son and his entourage shall do it._ "

Marcus merely scoffed. "You have sent your son and his cohort to their deaths, Alexia Ashford. You underestimate my true power, and nothing will get in the way of my revenge. Do you have nothing to say, Albert?"

" _Not really. I am just wishing I had popcorn while watching your little catfight,_ " Wesker said with a shrug.

Alexia chuckled. " _I shall certainly make some up for when you die, Marcus. You claim that I underestimate your true power. But you underestimate mine. It shall be a battle of our minds by proxy, through the children of our minds. Your BOWs, and those infected by Sentinel. Maybe you are more powerful than my son and his allies._ " Her blue eyes narrowed, boring into Marcus' soul. " _But I doubt that._ "

"All doubt will soon be wiped away in an infernal palimpsest that will sweep the world, Alexia," Marcus sneered back, though a small kernel of doubt and fear gnawed at his heart, something he would never deign to admit. "Umbrella has no place in my new world order, no matter who is in charge of that petty fiefdom. I remember you having this curious obsession with ants. They are easily stepped on."

" _With all due respect, Doctor Marcus_ ," Wesker purred, his tone making it clear that no respect was due at all, " _so are_ _ **leeches**_ _. I remember that lovely squelch they made when I killed those you had been working on after killing you. A crying shame I was not more thorough._ "

" _Indeed_ ," Alexia said. " _You are a relic of Umbrella's past, Marcus. And you have no place in its future._ " Her face twisted into a cold sneer. " _So be a good boy, and_ _ **die**_ _, for good this time._ " Then, the feed cut off.

Marcus scoffed, trying to dispel the uncertainty he now felt. To himself, trying to bolster his confidence, he said quietly, "Words are all you have left, Alexia. And misplaced faith in your son, his companions, and their new virus. But just because it's new doesn't mean it is better, after all. I will show you the ruined corpses of your pawns you have sent to die Alexia, and you will understand the full depths of your folly…"

But the only thing he heard in response were the echoes of his own words, as if mocking him with the hollow nature of his declaration…

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, sorry for the wait. But here it is. Plus, Rebecca and Billy had to find out about Sentinel some time. Might as well be now.**

 **Anyway, we'll be having a series of time skips from now on, as well as alternating between Henry and company, and Alexia.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Emperor Vanquest** **: Alexia is working on moving most of the European branch away from bioweapons development, and intends to use the American branch as a scapegoat if need be. She's also been cultivating alliances with other pharmaceuticals companies like Tricell. Effectively, she intends to paint Spencer, Marcus, Wesker and Birkin as dangerous lunatics. She's also been getting more sway within the US Government. The problem is, Racoon City is very much a holdout of the old regime's influence.**

 **Kilare T'suna** **: Well, potentially it's as powerful.**

 **scottdragoon** **: Well, wait and see.**

 **1.** ** _Hirudinea_** **is the biological subclass all leaches belong to. Fun fact: the medical use of leeches is also called hirudotherapy. No, really!**


End file.
